Tens of thousands of Ukrainians, mostly women and children, have crossed into Poland, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia today as Russian missiles continue to pound Kiev and the government urges men to stay in the country and fight.
Many refugees waited for hours in the cold to leave Ukraine. The queues of cars at the border crossings stretched for many kilometers.
In Poland, a country that hosts one of the largest Ukrainian communities in the region, about 1 million people, authorities said some waited 6 to 12 hours to cross the country.
In Medica, southern Poland, about 85 miles[85 km]from Lviv in western Ukraine, roads are crowded with traffic jams, traffic jams, and people hugging relatives and friends who have just arrived in the city. An online map shows that one third of the road is congested.
“Only women and children come, because it is forbidden for men. We left our fathers, our husbands at home and we feel bad,” said Ludmila, 30. When asked if she was worried about her husband, the woman burst into tears.
Ukraine bans men aged 18-60 from crossing the border, as they can be recruited.
Marta Bouach, 30, from Lviv, said her husband was not allowed to go with her to Medica. “Things are good in Lviv, but in other cities τροφή disaster. Kiev was bombed, smaller cities were bombed, we heard bombs everywhere. I think it is only a matter of time before the situation becomes as dangerous (in Lviv) as in other cities,” he added.
UN agencies estimate that up to 5 million people could go abroad and 3 million of them will go to Poland. Some parts of Ukraine are running out of fuel, medical supplies and cash.
According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, 100,000 people have already been displaced inside Ukraine after fleeing their homes in Russia.
European Union interior ministers will discuss the effects of the crisis on Sunday. Germany has already said that the “27” should accept all those who leave in order to escape violence. “We must do everything we can to accept without delay the people who are leaving to escape the bombs, the attacks,” said Foreign Minister Analena Berbock.
According to Polish authorities, 29,000 people crossed into Poland from Ukraine on Thursday, and about half said they were leaving because of the war. More than 10,000 Ukrainians arrived in Romania yesterday and about 3,000 in Slovakia. According to the Prime Minister of Romania, the total number of refugees is 19,000.
Michal Milnitsu, a spokesman for the Podkarpaski region in southern Poland, said temporary camps were being set up for those arriving in the country. “Most continue on their way to other areas across Poland after eating a hot meal,” he told PAP.
On the border with northern Romania, women wept as they said goodbye to their male relatives and set off for Sigetu Marmatiei, a secluded town on the Tisza River. Long queues formed as cars waited to board the ferry to cross the Danube and reach Isaac, a town between Moldova and the Black Sea.
In Slovakia, authorities called on people to donate blood and set up hospitals with 5,380 beds for the army or NATO.
Across Central Europe, on NATO’s east wing, volunteers are posting messages on social networking sites to find homes and transportation for those arriving across the border. Activists set up canteens with food and refreshments, while veterinarians offered to take care of the refugees’ pets.
In Poland and Romania the authorities were the quarantine rules for those arriving from countries outside the European Union and, as of today, Ukrainians can be vaccinated for Covid-19 in Poland.
Hungary has said it will open a humanitarian corridor for third-country nationals, such as Iran or India, leaving Ukraine. He will accept them even if they do not have a visa and will take them to the nearest airport, that of Debrecen.
Bulgaria has started issuing passports to its citizens in Kiev who need travel documents and has sent four buses to evacuate those who wish. About 250,000 Bulgarians live in Ukraine.
UN calls for “safe and unhindered access” to Ukraine
The United Nations is calling for “safe and unhindered access” to humanitarian aid to Ukraine, Martin Griffiths, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, told a news conference today.
He stressed that humanitarian workers should be protected when transporting aid to the Ukrainian people “in all regions of Ukraine” who are at war.
The UN estimates that up to 100,000 people have been displaced so far. “We expect to have 1.8 million and more” in the future, Giffith added, adding that it is not just these people who will need humanitarian assistance. He recalled that before the war broke out, the UN was providing assistance to about 3 million people, mainly in eastern Ukraine.
All UN teams are currently in Ukraine, although non-essential staff and workers’ families have left the country.
In the coming days, the UN is expected to call for donations to meet the growing needs of residents.
Griffiths also said that the UN, in cooperation with the International Committee of the Red Cross, is examining the impact that economic sanctions imposed on Russia will have on the work of humanitarian organizations.
Source: AMPE
Source: Capital
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